About Blanks (unique notebooks with upcycled covers)

About Blanks is a company based in The Netherlands, which covers FSC-certified notebooks with covers, made from old books that would otherwise get thrown in the rubbish.

The founder has this business idea, when he discovered a pile of books from the 1940s in his local library, that had been ‘written off’. Thinking this was a shame, he took them home and upcycled them into beautiful sketchbooks, and the rest is history!

This company also employs people with disabilities and poor job prospects to make the books, ensuring they get paid work and good lifestyles. Who needs Basildon Bond?

Obviously each notebook is unique, so makes a lovely gift! The thick blank cream pages are ideal for notes, doodling or sketching. The covers are all upcycled, donated from various libraries.

This company is based just over the water in beautiful Rotterdam. Facing the northeast port of Hull (Yorkshire), it’s the largest port in Europe and due to its modern skyline, is known as ‘Manhattan on the Maas’. It’s not all tall buildings though, as the airport is below sea level!

Issues with Book Waste in England

Due to millions of books being sold each year in England, book waste is a huge issue. Many books that don’t sell well get pulped (others end up in discount stores).

One way to reduce book waste is simply to make use of your local library (ask the librarian for a book you would like to read, often it will get ordered in – authors still make royalties).

If you have unwanted books, you can donate them to libraries or charity shops (choose ones that don’t test on animals).

For books that are too damaged, just remove the cover (due to the glued spine) and recycle the pages with normal household recycling). You can then either bin the covers, or take a leaf out of this company’s book, and turn them into craft projects!